Town Square
January 1975 Call of the Pewee
June 1975 Call of the Pewee
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In 1974, the Pewee Valley Bicentennial Committee led an effort to spruce up the strip of land between the railroad tracks and Railroad Avenue (now Mt. Mercy Drive) in front of Town Hall -- which was referred to before that time as the "Center of Pewee Valley."
The plan incorporated the red caboose the L&N Railroad had donated to the City in 1971 and created Town Square. Also included in the design were the fire pit still used every year for the City's Yule Log celebration and planted with flowers during the spring and summer; a children's play area (which became additional parking); and hitching posts and a watering trough for the town's many horseback riding enthusiasts. While it may seem strange to equip Town Square with hitching posts, a WPA photo of Central Avenue in 1940 shows hitching posts behind behind what's now the Pewee Valley Veterinary. And trail rides were among the many festivities offered during the city's year-long Centennial Celebration in 1970. In fact, horseback riding was once so common in Pewee Valley that residents complained about horse droppings littering the Pewee Valley-Crestwood sidewalk that runs beside LaGrange Road. The August 1985 Call of the Pewee noted, tongue-in-cheek: |
... Although there is nothing illegal about horses doing what comes naturally, Pewee Valley police, having been notified of the complaints, will try to keep an eye -- or nose -- on the situation. Which will be some kind of manure -- or rather maneuver.
The Original Plan for Town Square
August 1974 Call of the Pewee
Trackside Tree Plantings
Annie Fellows Johnston Marker
In 2002, the City of Pewee Valley spent $1,290 to purchase a sign renaming Town Square "Annie Fellows Johnston Square." The aluminum sign, illustrated with Little Colonel artwork drawn by Peweean Bill Hertzel for the city's Bicentennial celebration, reads:
Annie Fellows Johnston Square
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of The Little Colonel novels. Dedicated to our beloved Annie Fellows Johnston by the citizens of Pewee Valley in the year of our Lord 2002. She said of Pewee Valley:
"I felt as if I had stepped back into the time when people had leisure to make hospitality their chief business in life, and could afford for every day to be a holiday, when there were always guests under the spreading rooftree of the great house, and laughter and singing..."
Annie Fellows Johnston Square
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of The Little Colonel novels. Dedicated to our beloved Annie Fellows Johnston by the citizens of Pewee Valley in the year of our Lord 2002. She said of Pewee Valley:
"I felt as if I had stepped back into the time when people had leisure to make hospitality their chief business in life, and could afford for every day to be a holiday, when there were always guests under the spreading rooftree of the great house, and laughter and singing..."
Future Plans for Town Square
The plan above, put together in July 2011, uses sidewalks to tie Town Square into Central Park. Asphalt paving is replaced with permeable pavers to improve storm water drainage. The area has experienced flooding in the past and this plan meets EPA standards for storm water drainage.
Flooding at Town Hall, partially caused by the build-up of the railroad tracks over the years, has led the City of Pewee Valley to explore new solutions to improve the drainage on Mt. Mercy Drive and tie Town Square into Central Park.
The first plan, above, was put together in 2011. The second plan, below, which would allow improvements to occur in stages as dollars becomes available, was put together in 2016. Both plans incorporate permeable pavers to replace asphalt in designated parking areas and around the fire pit.
The City has applied for several grants to help fund the project.
The first plan, above, was put together in 2011. The second plan, below, which would allow improvements to occur in stages as dollars becomes available, was put together in 2016. Both plans incorporate permeable pavers to replace asphalt in designated parking areas and around the fire pit.
The City has applied for several grants to help fund the project.
